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Followers of the presidents race agree that of all the crazy ways Teddy Roosevelt has managed to lose this year, few stack up to the panther attack that derailed our 26th president on
April 26th.

Last night at Nationals Park, the panther made a surprise return.

With Tim Redding and the Washington Nationals leading the St. Louis Cardinals by a seemingly comfortable margin in the middle of the 4th inning, Teddy dashed out to take an early presidents race lead. But the panther followed him out of the centerfield gate and chased him as he rounded the warning track.

The crowd was cheering for Teddy to beat the panther to the finish line, but there was little any of us could do other than grab a camera and record the inevitable.

It was a clean take-down.

As has happened so often this season, Abe was there to steal the victory. It makes one wonder who That Cat is working for.

It was all a fitting complement to a wild day at the ball park. With the teams’ already-thin pitching staffs stretched to the max by the last-minute doubleheader, big hits and wild plays were the order of the day. Two players hit their first career home runs, leads were blown by both teams, and finally, in the 10th inning of a 29-hit slugfest, Elijah Dukes capped a career night with his first homer as a National — a 2-run no-doubt-about-it game-winning shot.

Now that I think about it, it was such a night to remember that I forgot about the first game of the doubleheader. Did Teddy win?

We were at the game last night. Teddy won! Actually, he rode a motor bike, and was disqualified. Boo Screech — you stickler for the rules — you broke my daughter’s heart. Today we rip up our cuddly furry Screech doll, then hang all the pieces in effigy, then burn them all. For two seconds we saw what it was like to experience a Teddy victory. A lasting memory. But a daughter who bear emotional scars forever. Shame Screech, shame.